Unfazed by fame, Boyle remains grounded

Imagine you are a socially awkward middle-aged single woman in a small town who is transformed overnight into an international sensation.

How do you cope with the media frenzy and public attention when you have lived most of your life at the margins?

These are questions Britain`s Got Talent runner-up Susan Boyle was unable to answer when she dazzled the world with her singing last year on the popular U.K. TV show.

With her debut album now hitting the top spot in North America and the United Kingdom, it wouldn`t be an overstatement to say "I Dreamed a Dream" has been flying off store shelves.

The album moved close to 3 million records worldwide - just two weeks after its release.

Stateside, the album sold more than 700,000 copies in its first week - the best opening week for a debut in more than a decade.

It was less than a year ago that Boyle was living with her cat in a small town in Scotland.

Singing was one of her passions in life, and when she got wind of the open auditions for the popular television program, she took the chance.

During her televised audition, her first round performance captivated and stunned both the audience and the judging panel.



This was all the more apparent as she was initially met with cynicism and mockery from onlookers due to her plain looks and awkward presentation.

After that performance, media from all over the world descended on her, captivated by the story of an underdog.

When her performance was uploaded onto YouTube, it received more than 2.5 million hits in the first 72 hours it was up and went on to record 103 million views.

But with sudden fame came the pressure to keep up with the world`s expectations. The 48-year-old Scottish songstress has since had a somewhat rocky road to stardom.

The day after the show`s finals, Boyle was rushed to The Priory, a private mental hospital in London, citing exhaustion.

The show`s staff had noticed she had begun to act erratically after losing the TV contest to a dance troupe and the police were called to assist in escorting her to the private psychiatric clinic.

Many attributed her mental breakdown to her inability to cope with the pressure and expectations from both the public and the media.

But now she`s back on her feet with those times behind her.

The newly minted queen of the pop music charts recently took the time to talk about life before and after her rise to stardom with The Korea Herald via e-mail.

Q: From being an average person to becoming this international sensation must have been an overwhelming experience.

A: I didn`t know what YouTube was until I was in the record offices and saw the clip and the number of hits and thought, "Oh my God."

I`m still trying to come to terms with it. The fans have been amazing, and the mail I have received phenomenal.

I have been sent beautiful gifts including books, toiletries and a vintage dress from the 1950s that had been in a family for generations and they wanted me to have it.

It`s indescribable that someone would want me to have something so precious. Everyone has shown me such kindness and support. I`ve even had offers of dates!

Q: How accurate have reports about your alleged "breakdown" have been?

A: I don`t really remember much about it - after the final I was in the Priory with extreme exhaustion. I hadn`t slept properly for about a week and I didn`t know what was wrong with me.

I was in there for three days and I`ve never felt so tired, but I look back on it now and it was a necessity. I wanted to get a rest and a break at the time without all the cameras, you know.

Q: When did you realize you had a good voice?

A: I`ve sung since I was about 9. I`d do theatrical stuff and join choirs. I was picked for a solo once, but choirs for me were about hiding behind other people. They were about taking comfort in letting other people take the lead. I was quite shy back then. Hard to believe after everything that`s happened this year, I know! But I was.

The thing is by the time you get to my age you lose that shyness.

Q: Was that an outlet for you growing up?

A: Yes, it was a complete emotional release. I had a slight disability and instead of saying "Right, I have this disability" and concentrating on it I had to find my abilities and concentrate on that instead. Singing was the one thing that I was good at. Music was my escape and my brother bought me lots of LP`s. I was daft about the Osmonds at the time. I used to go up to my bedroom and play records.

I could be who I wanted to be so I used to imagine myself singing to an audience. It was my safe haven. Even at 13, I would see people singing on the TV and wanted to be in that position and entertain people.

Q: If you could say anything to those that disparaged you growing up, what would you say to them?

A: Well, there is a song that I put on the album called "You`ll See."

It was a kind of way of saying to the ones who made fun of me at school - well I can really do better than some people, you know, and the ones who held me back at school as well and stuff like that.

I was held back for a number of reasons and that made me feel as if I wasn`t very worthwhile or good enough, so it`s a way of saying to them, well you didn`t think I was good enough but I`m gonna really show you - you know, a bit of quiet determination there, not over-determination, but quiet determination.

Q: Will fame ever change you?

A: I`m still the wee wifey with the mop and the cat next door. And I`m not gonna lose her! - remembering that I am just that wifey.

My story is: "What you see is what you get." There`s no airs and graces with me.

(kws@heraldm.com)



By Song Woong-ki